A known method for executing data updates in an IC Card comprises a step of writing data to be updated in a file of the IC Card, i.e. a logic structure corresponding to one or more memory pages of an EEPROM of the IC Card. More particularly, data are physically stored as a sequence of bits in the memory pages of the EEPROM.
When a memory page already storing a sequence of bits is updated, it should be previously erased and set to a predetermined sequence of 0000 . . . 00 or FFFF . . . FF values. A number of erase operations, and thus also a corresponding number of data update supported by each memory page, is limited by the physical characteristics of the EEPROM, for example to m=5*105 erase operations.
However, some IC Card applications may require several updates of data which rapidly exceeds the number of erasing operations supported by the memory pages of the IC Card. This is the case of an authentication counter for a GSM application, which is incremented each time a GSM Network authenticates the IC Card, or the case of a transaction application, wherein a money counter is updated after each card payment. There is also the case of a so called LOCI update application, wherein information regarding a GSM cell connected by a mobile phone is updated in a LOCI file of the IC Card each time the GSM cell whereto the mobile phone is connected changes. In this case, when the number of erase operations exceeds the memory pages capability to be erased, the IC Card is damaged, data is lost, and the corresponding IC Card application is unusable.